Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-10
Suspension Of the Fourth section

Suspension Of the Fourth Sect1on'
The Interstate Commissioners
having suspended the operation OF
the 4th section Of the law, relating to
long and short hauls, on the applica
ton of q number of Southern roads,
the same relief has been asked for
with regard to other roads all over
the country. The Detroit, Grand
Haven and Milwaukee Railroad Com
pany was the last to obtain 90-days'
suspension OF the section. The
opinion of many eminent railroad
men is to the effect that the granting
of these suspensions will crush the
whole measure, for the 4th section is
really the vital provision in the law.
One prominent railroad man said:
"There is not railroad in the whole
"country that will not make the same
sclaim as that contended for by the
"Southern railways, and the justice OF
"their claims cannot fail to be re-
"spected." OF course not. To be con-
sistent. the Commissioners must
apply the rule, they have already
ado pied in several cases, universally,
when ever similar necessity for relief
is shown. Senator Stanford, in let
ter to the Commission, asked for a
general ruling with reference to
their traffic with the japan and
China trade, claiming that the COM
panies be represents cannot compete
with the : Isthmus OF suez ii
their through freight is brought
under the rule of the 4th section OF
the law. The Commissioners replied
that they would consider the matter
If formal petition were presented.
If the through traffic from Japan and
China should be released, it would
probably carry with it all the through
traffic, including that belonging to
the United States. But there ought
to be a specific suspension of the Sec
ton in favor of American through
business. as %, The Senator wants a
general ruling, and the Board seems
to be disinclined to grant it on mere
a pplication with reference to the
japanese and Chinese trade. Now
what the customers of the Pacific
roads want is to receive the relief that
tn e Detroit and Milwaukee road and
the Southern roads have secured. 1t
is right that the people OF this coast
should have it, and have it at once.
The business of our section cannot
long bear the strain which it now en-
dures. We want to know whether
we are to have relief or the contrary.
II not, then our people will know what
they have to depend upon, and will
take such means as are available to
remedy the evil for themselves. The
whole business of the coasts disarrang-
ed. Merchants are unwilling to order
goods under existing circumstances,
and the chances are that considerable
losses may tensue from glut of GER
tain kinds on account of the abnormal
stocks that we're ordered in anticipa-
ton of the very extraordinary sched-
ule of rates now in force. OF course,
If these rates are continued, some of
the fore-seeing ones will make large
profits; but these profits are not
legi innate. They come from an ex-
ceptional state OF affairs that has been
precipitated upon the country by q
dangerous expedient in legislation,
and are not the just and steady incre-
ments of legitimate business. 1t is to
be hoped that the representatives OF
the roads doing through business
with this coast will see that tits to otheir
interest to at, once obtain from the
Commissioners the same relief that
has been so readily granted to other
roads. With suspension of the 4th
section of the law for ninety days, we
shall have time to fully take in the
situation in all its bearings, and to
prepare for the worst, if the worst
must come.
We have so frequently reviewed